Reviews by mpedara429:

A: Poured out a cola color with an overwhelming 4 fingers of tan head. My impatience was getting to me as this beer had great retention.

S: Most notable and typical Belgian yeast clove-like smell. With a good swirl, dark fruit can be traced within the depths of this beer.

T: Everything the smell has to offer. Dark fruit reminds me a lot of cherries. It is like an alcoholic cherry cola. Nice balance as it is not too sweet. A bit of alcohol flavor that is acceptable for a beer boasting 10.5% abv.

More User Reviews:

Pours a deep deep brown with a great slight off white sticky head,aroma is fresh and malty sweet with a light smokey note.Taste has bunch of different compnents definent raisin and candied sugar with smokiness that lingers in the finish along with some ever so slight tartness.Its been awhile since I have had a Unibroue beer until today and they were well missed.

Taste: Dry and malty off the top. The taste quickly turns towards a dark fruit sweetness highlighted by raisin and plum. Moderate spiciness and an obvious alcohol kick. Plenty of body and complexity. The finish is very warm and reminds me very much of a nice port or sherry.

Mouthfeel: Dry off the top and very full. Plenty of active carbonation accompanies the complexities of this beer well. Smoothes out towards the finish.

Drinkablilty: I loved this beer. Complex and ever changing in my mouth. What i would consider a perfect after dinner drink or even an adequate night cap. Excellent. A world class brew.

Appearance  This is the darkest of the Unibroues that I have tasted thus far (I have eight under my belt not counting this one). I really had to work the pour to get a head.

Smell  The signature Unibroue yeast comes out beautifully in the nose. The toasted malt compliments the bready aroma along with undertones of plums and dates. Theres also some table sugar floating around.

Taste  This is perfection of the yeast flavor. It almost tastes like a tremendous dunkel weizen with a little spicing. Theres some typical coriander and maybe a little pepper, but this one is all about the amazing dark yeast body. This is tight, distinct, and very impressive.

We also have some deep fruitiness to help things along. Apricots, cherries, plums, and table sugar give this a sweet finish. This is awesome.

Mouthfeel  Big carbonation and very full without a hint of the enormous ABV.

Drinkability  This went down incredibly well. If you like bready weizen or BSDAs, you MUST give this one a try.

Comments  I was just blown away by this offering from Unibroue. They have always amazed me, but this was much unexpected. The dark bottle and bland labeling looks kind of like a marketing gimmick, but this is the real deal. Personal preference: Theres maybe half a dozen beers Id put above this one.

Update  I was beside myself after reviewing this back in October 2003 so thought that I would re-review it with a 2004 vintage. Man, oh man, I couldnt wait to log on to BA to raise all of my ratings just to find that I had fived everything but the Appearance. Theres not much of a head to this one but other than that this beer if perfect.

Tastes heavy and sweet. The alcohol is quite prominent. The oak and dark fruit come through in the flavor as does a slightly bittersweet coffee. Finish is pepper spiced.

Mouthfeel is strong and spicy, roast and mostly well balanced. The strength of the alcohol is lamentable but not quite overwhelming. Very warming on the palate and nasal passages.

Drinkability is mixed. This is easier to drink than Maudite and harder than Trois but its not as interesting as either. The lack of complexity and somewhat undercovered alcohol make this one less drinkable than the average Unibroue for me.

Still, this brew stands on its own, unique, interesting, and genial. Another winner from Canukistan.

A- Pours a very dark soda like fluid with a off-white foamy head that falls to a rim around the glass. Very little lacing that quickly falls back in to the brew.

S- Matured raisins and plums dominate the first impression of this strong ale. This is followed by sweet smells of alcohol esters and a mild fermented scent that is very nice to the nose. Great smell for such a strong beer.

T- Much like the smell this beer packs a very sweet alcohol flavor but covered by a combination of dark fruits like raisins, plums, and possibly even hints of almonds. Hardcore beer for hardcore drinkers.

M-D- Mouthfeel is very dry upfront and finishes with hard alcohol feel on the tongue. Smooth to the finish for me and drinkablity is excellent.. will try again if found.

750ml bottle, best before 8/8/07. Dark, dark red-black color, with a sweet, dark fruit aroma. Very pleasant. It tasted sweet, cherry, some chocolate. A little bit of warming spice in the background. Wonderful. Pretty well carbonated. An enjoyable beer to drink, didn't notice the 10.5% ABV.

Poured dark, with a big head.Had a nice warm carmel malt smell, couldn't detect the alcohol(yet) Thick cocoa raisin taste on first sip, got a little sweeter on the second taste and the alcohol started to make its presence known.This is a wonderful complex brew,went out and bought another bottle right away. I'd rate this perfect if the texture was a little smoother

9/9/2003 750ml bottle. Pours a dark brownish-burgundy with a huge fizzy tan head that quickly dissipates.

The aroma is rather reserved - vinous berries and a little vanilla woodiness.

The flavor is also vinous and sherry like with a sweet malt backbone underneath. There's some plums, woodiness and pepper. The finish is tart fruity alcohol. It is medium to full bodied, not much carbonation but what there is is rather harsh.

Overall, I was a little disappointed with this. It is well made (nothing offensive about it) but a little too wine-like for me. It is surprisingly drinkable and hides the alcohol well (until it kicks you in the butt later).

Presentation: It was poured from a brown 750ml bottle into a tulip glass. This bottle is labeled "Best Before 02-26-2012".

Appearance: It has a very dark brown colored body that is nearly opaque. A tall tan head of big soft bubbles slowly settles down to a finger of thick and creamy foam. Lacing is thick, sticky and coats the glass.

Smell: The aroma is light and delicate. I get modest hints of sweet bready and mildly funky yeast with some fruity notes of dark cherries.

Taste/Palate: There are fruity/estery notes with hints of sweet-tart black cherries, dry yeast and bready maltiness. This is balanced by a very light herbal leafy hop presence that also adds a light bitterness and a slight mineral or metallic touch. The palate feels smooth and creamy with mellow yet very active carbonation and a good solid medium to full body.

Poured a very ruddy, dark brown color with a decent head that retained rather well. Not much lacing, but many effervescent bubbles all over.

Smelled very fruity...much like champagne. Some malt, but nostly dark fruity aromas and alcohol.

Tastes very fruity and very carbonated like champagne. Fruit-like champagne as well. This tastes and feels like a beer/champagne hybrid. Maltiness, dark fruits ala dates, figs, raisins, some phenolic flavors, and a mild spiciness.